RESIDENTS of Kg Simunal in Semporna, Sabah, are breaking the law by sneaking out in the middle of the night to catch fish because of food shortages since the area was placed under the enhanced movement-control order (EMCO) since October 24.

They said no assistance has been delivered since the first day of EMCO, even though the government should have distributed food rations to them by now.

A civil society group, meanwhile, said the situation is worrying if it continues and there is no guarantee that the villagers can survive.

Maria Pee, 35, a housewife, said the last time she received aid was on October 13 when Sabah was put under the conditional CMCO but her food supply has depleted.

It was also the first time the village received government aid, said Maria.

The second aid only came from civil society groups a week before Kg Simunal was included in the EMCO announcement, she said.

“During that period, we only received aid twice. The food aid we got included a 20kg pack of rice for my family, however, we have run out of food supply, including rice.

“Now, my husband and other villagers have to sneak out to fish for food. If they don’t, we won’t have anything to eat,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

There were times when her family of 13 ate just plain rice because they had nothing else, she said.

If they run out of rice, they would ask for help from friends or family members in neighbouring villages.

Admitting that fishing at night is dangerous, including the risk of arrest, Maria said they have no other choice.

“Yes, it is dangerous but what can we do? My husband would usually go in groups and not alone.

“He would fish nearby and only when the tide is low but if we still can’t get fish, our food would only be rice,” she said, adding that most residents in Simunal work as fishermen and labourers.

Abdul Rahim Mohd Said, 41, who lives in Kg Pinggir Bakau Semporna told The Malaysian Insight that his village relies solely on outside help.

Rahim said the villagers are facing difficulties, as they cannot go out to work and earn an income during the CMCO.

“We are in desperate need of help. We hope that some assistance will come our way as we are not able to work, and to buy food due to lack of income.”

The father of nine said they have exhausted the food supplies given by the government in October and he was forced to use his savings to sustain the family, apart from hoping for donations.

“There was some assistance in October. Each family got 20kg of rice but now it’s already finished. The 20kg of rice did not last long in a large family, especially when everyone is forced to stay home.

“That is why we really hope that the government or other parties will be willing to lend some help to alleviate our suffering here,” he said.

It is also difficult to secure protein, such as fish and chicken.

“We can forget about getting chicken and fish. For now, we usually make do with sardines, eggs or vegetables that’s all,” he said.

Sabah is currently the highest contributing state to the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country, at about 14,000.

The sudden escalation in cases occurred right after the Borneo state concluded the state elections on September 26.

On October 13, the federal government imposed CMCO in Sabah and EMCO in six different localities in Semporna and one locality in Kunak.

Ground support

With the rapid rise of cases recorded in Sabah, civil societies have stepped up as one of the main actors directing assistance to the state’s inhabitants, especially in remote areas where residents do not have proper identity documents.

One such group is Sekolah Alternatif Borneo Komrad which provides help not only in terms of food supplies but also in medicine, baby formulas and sanitary pads.

Group leader Mukmin Nantang explained thatsaid at least 15,000 to 20,000 donation packs have been distributed weekly to villagers.

Each pack may last up to two weeks and will have to be redistributed after that period.

Mukmin said his group has 50 volunteers are across six areas – Semporna, Tawau, Kunak, Sandakan, Kinabatangan and Kota Kinabalu.

Semporna is the most critical area in Sabah as for now, he said.

The biggest problem is that residents only received help once from the government three weeks ago.

The assistance also left out those missing from the Department of Social Welfare’s list, such as tenants or those without homes.

“The problem is that they only get assistance once and after that, they don’t know when the next one will arrive. There have been cases of sidelined residents in many areas.

“Take Kg Air, for example, which is quite a complex area as the houses are not organised systematically. There are mini-houses in rented lots, house within a house, rental space beside the house and also a house behind a house.

“Other areas outside of the red zone also face problems. People living there are affected but there is inconsistency in handing out aids there resulting in some missing out.”

Mukmin said Semporna folk, who generally work as fishermen, labourers and construction workers, now survive by requesting aid from civil society groups and neighbours.

Those living in EMCO areas are also forced to find secret escape routes after food supplies stopped coming.

“These secret alleyways are usually accessed when there is low tide. People will walk out to secure food supplies either by going to groups or by catching fish,” he said while estimating that there are at least 10,000 to 20,000 red-zone inhabitants who are affected.

Mukmin said the villagers would find it hard to survive if the situation continues, blaming red tape for the situation.

“It is really difficult for the community to sustain themselves with the situation getting worse. Like it or not, they have no choice but to go out through the secret pathways. They are forced to break the law in order to find food.

“We are also worried that crime cases will increase because there are some who are forced to steal to find food.” – October 30, 2020.